UCLA Beats Lumberjacks 77-60 To Reach Sweet 16

Jordan Adams #3 of the UCLA Bruins drives against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks during the third round of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 23, 2014 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jordan Adams scored 19 points andUCLAbeat Stephen F. Austin 77-60 on Sunday to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008.

The fourth-seeded Bruins (27-8) will play Florida, the tournament’s overall top seed, in the South Regional semifinals on Thursday in Memphis. First-year coach Steve Alford has won as many NCAA tournament games in three days as the Bruins had in the previous five seasons combined.

Alford replaced Ben Howland, who was fired a year ago after the Bruins lost to Minnesota in their NCAA tournament opener. This isUCLA’sfirst trip to the regionals since Howland got the Bruins to their third straight Final Four in 2008.

Stephen F. Austin (32-2), the No. 12 seed, had its 29-game winning streak snapped. The Lumberjacks hadn’t lost in exactly four months